The risk of flooding and damage has caused the Met Office to issue a number of severe weather warnings for middle and southern Britain.

The Sunseeker Yacht, estimated to be worth £6 million, was damaged at the Sunseeker factory in Poole as high-winds continue to batter Dorset (Caters)

But an hour long strike by the Coastguard earlier this morning took place without incident.

More than 50 fallen trees, many blocking roads and damaging property, have been cleared overnight in Devon as winds of up to 70mph blasted seaside towns and rural villages.

Some uprooted trees have brought down power cables and Western Power Distribution engineers are working to restore electricity to nearly 300 homes across the region.

The Plymouth lifeboat was called to rescue a fishing boat in trouble in 40ft high waves near the Eddystone Rocks off Rame Head in Cornwall.

Road closures and cancelled ferries have caused some travel problems.

Waves batter Porthleven harbour wall in Cornwall (SWNS)

Falmouth Coastguard said the French fishing vessel Maranello, with a crew of five on board, got into difficulties in rough seas after its engines failed and it's being towed back to Plymouth.

The Environment Agency still has a number of flood alerts on rivers and some coastal areas of the South West.

Police had to shut the harbour road at Porthleven because of waves washing over the sea wall and at St Mawes, boats broke free of their moorings and smashed into rocks.

Residents in a Cornwall village were warned to stay indoors and batten down the hatches as 70mph storms began sweeping across Britain.

A £5million yacht in Poole, Dorset, was damaged after wind caused a roof on the quay to crash on top of it.

The 91ft (28m) Sunseeker Vessel was moored at the boatbuilders being cleaned when the structure collapsed on it.

Government forecasters issued a red shipping warning for almost all coastal waters, expecting sea gales up to force 10 – which the Met Office’s wind speed charts showed whip up 12-metre waves at sea.

The deluges are due to the ‘European monsoon’ weather phenomenon – named after its more powerful Indian monsoon counterpart, independent forecasting firm The Weather Outlook said.

Forecaster Brian Gaze of The Weather Outlook said: “It’s a very poor early summer outlook, further heavy showers or longer spells of rain for all parts.

“This is the ‘European Monsoon,’ a June weather pattern when westerly winds bringing cloud and rain return with a vengeance after easing during late spring.

“There are only very tentative signs these winds will begin to lose their grip during the second half of the month.”

Beach huts were washed into the sea in a storminTorquay last night

The gales and driving rain brought power cables crashing to the ground in showers of sparks in the Bell Lane area of Lanner, near Redruth.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and say the 70mph gales are likely to bring down trees because they are in full leaf so their boughs are extra-heavy.

Temperatures are also expected to remain low for this time of year.

"Strong winds, possibly up to gale force, are expected from the afternoon onwards in south-west England particularly Devon and Cornwall," forecaster Mark Seltzer from the Met Office.

"On Friday the warning is extended to include south Wales and many parts of southern England as well as the South West, again with a risk of gales.

"The public should be careful when they are outside, and there is a danger of damage to trees.

"Winds should gradually ease from the South West during the day."

Brendan Jones, with the private forecaster MeteoGroup, said: "There are going to be potentially disruptive winds.

This sort of Atlantic storm is more normally seen in the autumn and winter months.

"Winds will increase this afternoon in Devon and Cornwall and there could be gusts of 60 to 65mph, or even 70mph on exposed coasts and headlands.

"Through tonight and Friday, the centre of the storm will move slowly north east, touching areas as far away at north Wales and exiting Britain as far north as Northumberland.

"Tomorrow, south Wales could have gusts of 60mph and many areas of England which are well inland could see gusts exceeding 50mph. There will also be a lot of rain in the next 48 hours."

Forecasters warned the wintry conditions are expected until the end of the month, threatening major events including Wimbledon.

The “very unsettled weather” is set to bring further misery for thousands of families, currently on holiday during the midterm break, with many taking an extended break due to the four-day bank holiday to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

On Wednesday night the Environment Agency issued two flood alerts for parts of the Thames in west London and south Wales while the Coastguard urged people to take extra precautions along coastal areas.

The Met Office said Northern Ireland was due to affected first followed by the southern coast from today.

Official issued “Amber” warnings, urging people to be “prepared”, due to the wind conditions in Cornwall and the western parts of Devon over the coming days. The Met Office said winds could reach 70mph in exposed coastal areas.

Meanwhile “yellow” warnings for rain were issued for London, the south-west and south-east as well as the Midlands, east of England and Wales as the “increasingly heavy and persistent” rain hits.

Most regions were expected to receive between 1.5 and nearly 2.5 inches of rain (40-60mm) over the coming days with some higher parts being hit more than three inches (80mm). Some parts will experience up to two thirds of the month’s average rainfall.

Sarah Roberts, a Met Office forecaster, warned that much of the country would be hit by “very unsettled” weather.

"It is going to be very wet and very windy for the next couple of days,” she said.

“The wind is going to be more of a factor. It is very unusual weather for this time of year, particularly with such cool conditions and very strong winds.”

“It has the potential to cause some disruption as it is half term, there are lots of people on holiday and the trees are in full leaf. Certainly for this time of year it could cause more problems then the autumn when we are more used to that sort of wind speed.”

The weather warnings come after much of the Jubilee weekend was hit by rain. St James’ Park, in central London, was hit by almost a month’s rain in the first five days of June.

The park, outside Buckingham Palace, received nearly an inch of rain (45mm) compared to June’s average of more than two inches (53mm).

Drought restrictions were introduced early in April but were followed by record rainfall across the UK for that month, and more rain in May. Many have since been lifted with more expected to follow.

Fred Caygill, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency warned holidaymakers to be careful along coastal areas.

He said: “The coast of the United Kingdom is a beautiful place, and is wonderful for exploring and enjoying the many water activities that are available.

“There are dangers though if the risks are not identified and correct preparations are not taken.

"With the stormy weather predicted by the Met Office for the end of the week, we would like to take this opportunity to remind coastal and sea users that every care should be taken to ensure that your visit and activities are safe."